Angled edge bucket excavation tool

ABSTRACT

An angled edge bucket excavation tool for excavation use is mounted to an arm of an excavation machine, such as an excavator or loader. The tool has a body mounted for rotation from the arm, a pair of generally flat, non-similar side leading edge plates mounted to the body, a pair of side plates and a formed back sheet mounted to the body and the side leading edges, an angled front leading edge plate mounted to span the region of the angled edge bucket between the side leading edge plates constructed with or without teeth, the angled leading edge attached to the back sheet and the side plates defining, together, an angled edge bucket volume for receiving material excavated from the hard packed substrate during excavation action. Methods of use are also described.

This application claim benefit from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/265,988, filed Dec. 2, 2009, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to excavation tools, and more particularly to bucket type excavation tools for excavators, backhoes, and wheel, crawler and skid-type loaders.

BACKGROUND

Excavation tools of the types described herein are typically mounted to conventional excavators of the type having a backhoe, or mounted to a conventional loader with a pair of boom arms. The backhoe version includes a dipper stick, and the tool is mounted on the outboard end of the dipper stick. The loader version would include boom arms of wheel loaders, crawler loaders and skid steer loaders where the tool is mounted to the outboard end of the boom arms. These tool types are employed for excavation of medium packed substrate, e.g. substrate between the category of loose soil or loose gravel and the category of substrate requiring a ripper or hammer. Medium packed substrate does not usually require special tools or rippers to be excavated; however, conventional buckets that have teeth horizontally aligned do not excavate efficiently. Loose soil or gravel can be excavated with a conventional bucket, but a conventional bucket is generally not efficient in hard packed substrate. Solid rock excavation generally requires a hydraulic hammer, but a hydraulic hammer is not efficient for excavating hard packed substrate because it is slow and requires an additional bucket to remove the material. Intermediate substrate excavation generally requires a ripper, but a ripper may not be efficient for excavating hard packed substrate because it requires an additional bucket to remove the material. Intermediate substrate excavation also generally requires a ripper bucket combination similar to that described in Horton, U.S. Pat. No. 7,322,133, entitled “Multi-Shank Ripper” of but a ripper bucket combination is considerably more expensive and may not be efficient for excavating hard packed substrate because it generally has a small capacity and it is not flat on the bottom for easily forming flat trench bottoms. Excavation projects generally require that the bottom of the excavated hole or trench be flat. Attempts have been made to develop tools that are effective, inexpensive, and efficient in excavating hard packed substrate and make the trench bottom flat. Simply stated, there has been one general approach, i.e. the spade nose bucket approach, e.g. as described in Evans et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,062, entitled High Penetration Bucket Arrangement,” and replaceable versions, e.g. as described in Grant, U.S. Pat. No. 7,266,914, entitled “Wear Plate Assembly,” and versions thereof; the complete disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Evans et al. describes a forward center tooth that makes penetration engagement with the soil prior to the side teeth and side teeth assemblies that will engage the material at the same time. This arrangement provides for good penetration and efficiency when the first center tooth engages; however, as soon as the two outer tooth assemblies engage with the soil, the efficiency drops and the soil resistance becomes dramatically higher. Grant also described a spade nose type bucket for a loader; however, the front leading edge contains a replaceable spade nose wear portion. This design also provides good penetration when the first center tooth engages; however, as soon as the subsequent multiple side teeth engage, the efficiency dramatically drops as the teeth engage in pairs. These teeth also align with each other when viewed from the side. Each of these approaches has been found to have drawbacks, and none is as efficient and effective for excavation of hard packed substrate as the angle edge bucket.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the disclosure, an angled edge excavation tool for use mounted to an arm, e.g. a dipper arm or a boom arm, of an excavation machine comprises a body mounted for rotation from the arm, and a set of side leading edges mounted to the body and disposed generally perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the angled edge excavation tool relative to the arm, each side leading edge comprising an excavation tooth disposed at a forward end thereof for excavation engagement with a substrate. The side leading edges and teeth are laterally spaced apart along the axis of rotation relative to the arm, creating a forward side leading edge and tooth and a rearward side leading edge and tooth. A front leading edge is angled both laterally and angularly, and connects the forward side leading edge and tooth to the rearward side leading edge and tooth. Additional teeth are space along the front leading edge. All of the teeth and the front leading edge are positioned generally on a flat plane, providing a flat bottom on the excavation tool. The rearward side leading edge is shaped to support the front leading edge while also limiting side spillage, thus providing for maximum capacity of excavated material. The forward tooth is set to the optimum excavation angle relative to the axis of rotation. A curved back plate is mounted to span a region between the side leading edges, a bucket volume for receiving material excavated from the substrate.

Preferred implementations of this aspect of the disclosure may include one or more of the following additional features. The excavation teeth are replaceably mounted to the tool. The excavation teeth are integral with the tool. The body portion comprises a body upper portion and a body tubular cross brace portion. Each excavation tooth comprises a weld-on adapter. Each excavation tooth has a top cutting surface and a bottom surface. Each excavation tooth terminates in a tip, and the first excavation tooth top cutting surface is disposed at a predetermined angle to the line through the arm pivot. The predetermined angle is between about 20° and about 50° from the tangent. The excavation teeth can be any standard or special style of excavation teeth. A tip radius dimension between the dipper stick pivot and each excavation tooth tip is about the same as a tip radius dimension of a conventional bucket.

Preferred implementations of this aspect of the disclosure may also or instead include one or more of the following additional features. The first excavation tooth is linearly advanced relative to the second excavation tooth in a direction of substrate excavation motion, whereby the first excavation tooth is engaged for excavating the substrate before the second excavation tooth is engaged for excavating the substrate. The tool further comprises additional teeth, for excavation engagement with a substrate, each additional tooth being laterally spaced from each other shank along the axis of rotation of the angled edge excavation tool relative to the arm, and the excavation tooth of each additional tooth being linearly spaced from the excavation tooth of each other of the additional shanks in a direction of excavation motion. The excavation tooth is replaceably mounted to the tool. The excavation tooth is integral with the tool.

Preferred implementations of this aspect of the disclosure may further or instead include one or more of the following additional features. A front leading edge is angled spanning both laterally at an angle, and connecting the forward side leading edge and tooth to the rearward side leading edge and tooth. Additional teeth are spaced along the front leading edge. All of the teeth and the front leading edge are positioned generally on a flat plane, providing a flat bottom on the excavation tool that is parallel to the angle of rotation. The forward tooth is set to the optimum excavation angle relative to the axis of rotation.

Preferred implementations of this aspect of the disclosure may still further or instead include one or more of the following additional features. The rearward side leading edge is shaped to support the front leading edge while also limiting side spillage, thus providing for maximum capacity of excavated material.

According to a another aspect of the disclosure, an angled edge bucket excavation tool for use mounted to an arm of an excavation machine, said angled edge bucket excavation tool comprises: a body mounted for rotation from the arm; a pair of generally flat, non-similar side leading edge plates mounted to the body; a pair of side plates and a formed back sheet mounted to said body and said side leading edges; and an angled front leading edge plate mounted to span the region of the angled edge bucket between said side leading edge plates, and attached to said back sheet and said side plates, to define, together, an angled edge bucket volume for receiving material excavated from the hard packed substrate during excavation action.

Preferred implementations of this aspect of the disclosure may include the additional feature of the angled front leading edge plate including non aligning teeth mounted thereto.

The angled edge bucket excavation tool described herein outperforms prior art tools, e.g. as described by Evans, et al., because no two teeth are in alignment. Each tooth of the disclosed excavation tool engages the hard packed substrate at different times, thus creating a smooth, higher force concentration as the bucket engages the material.

Another advantage of the angled edge excavation tool of this disclosure is realized when working with a top frost layer condition. Since the teeth engage one at a time, the angled edge excavation tool has the ability to simplify excavation of a top layer of frozen ground due to the concentration of the breakout force on one tooth at a time. Once the top layer is removed, the soft soil underneath can be excavated easily and quickly with the large capacity of this tool. Other ripper/bucket combinations that might function similarly would be on the order of, e.g., four times as expensive, and would not have the large capacity.

A further object of the disclosure is to provide excavation tools and systems that apply maximum working force to the working tooth for efficient and effective excavation of hard packed substrate.

It is another object of the disclosure is to provide excavation tools and systems with smooth operation and minimum stress on an excavating vehicle as it efficiently and effectively excavates hard packed substrate.

It is a further object of the disclosure to provide excavation tools and systems capable of easily forming a flat bottom in the trench or excavated formation of hard packed substrate.

It is a further object of the disclosure to provide excavation tools and systems capable of high quality, large capacity and low cost manufacture, with long and useful service life and, minimum of maintenance.

According to another aspect of disclosure, a method for excavation of a substrate employing an angled edge excavation tool mounted to an excavation machine comprises the steps of: engaging a first excavation tooth of the angled edge excavation tool with the substrate surface to be excavated and applying excavation force only to the first excavation tooth to cause the first excavation tooth to penetrate the substrate in excavation action, thereafter, engaging a second excavation tooth of the angled edge excavation tool with the substrate surface being excavated and applying excavation force to the second excavation tooth to cause the second excavation tooth to penetrate the substrate in excavation action, and thereafter engaging, in succession, succeeding excavation teeth of the angled edge excavation tool with the substrate surface being excavated and applying excavation force to the succeeding excavation teeth, in succession to cause the succeeding excavation teeth, in succession, to penetrate the substrate in excavation action.

Preferred implementations of this aspect of the disclosure may include one or more of the following additional features. The method comprises the further steps of, as the first excavation tooth penetrates the substrate surface to break out material from the substrate surface, allowing the tool and dipper stick to nosedive until a second excavation tooth engages the substrate surface with full cylinder force; and, as the second excavation tooth penetrates the substrate surface to break out material from the substrate surface, allowing the tool and dipper stick to nosedive until a third excavation tooth engages the substrate surface with full cylinder force. The method may further comprise the step of, as each succeeding excavation tooth, in succession, penetrates the substrate surface to break out material from the substrate surface, allowing the tool and dipper stick to nosedive until a still further succeeding excavation tooth, in succession, engages the substrate surface with full cylinder force.

According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, a method for excavation of a substrate employing an angled edge excavation tool mounted on a dipper stick of an excavation machine comprises the steps of: (a) extending the dipper stick to full extent forward of the excavation machine and pivoting the excavation tool at the end of the dipper stick back to full extent; (b) lowering the dipper stick until a first excavation tooth of the excavation tool engages the substrate; (c) drawing the excavation tool toward the excavation machine to cause the first excavation tooth to penetrate the substrate surface in excavation action; (d) simultaneously pivoting the excavation tool forward until a second excavation tooth of the excavation tool engages the surface of the substrate being ripped; (e) drawing the excavation tool toward the excavation machine to cause the second excavation tooth to penetrate the substrate surface in excavation action; and (f) repeating steps (d) and (e) for each succeeding excavation tooth of the excavation tool, in succession.

According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, a method for excavation of a substrate employing an angled edge excavation tool mounted on a dipper stick of an excavation machine comprises the steps of: (a) extending the dipper stick to full extent forward of the excavation machine and pivoting the excavation tool at the end of the dipper stick back so that the flat bottom is parallel to the ground; (b) lowering the dipper stick until the flat bottom of the excavation tool engages the substrate; (c) drawing the excavation tool toward the excavation machine to cause all of the teeth to shave substrate surface in excavation action; (d) simultaneously pivoting the excavation tool rearward thus keeping the bottom flat to the surface of the substrate being excavated; (e) drawing the excavation tool toward the excavation machine to cause the teeth to shave the substrate surface flat in excavation action.

Drawbacks experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present disclosure. It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the present disclosure to provide excavation tools and systems that efficiently and effectively excavate hard packed substrate.

The details of one or more implementations of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a prospective view of a first implementation of an angled edge excavation tool of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the angled edge excavation tool of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of the angled edge excavation tool of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the angled edge excavation tool of FIG. 1.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, angled edge bucket 10 is a new construction that allows an operator to own a relatively inexpensive bucket while being able to more efficiently excavate hard packed substrate, and also being able to easily shave the bottom of the trench flat, without requiring a tool change or machine change as required in order to use another style bucket. The angled edge excavation tool 10 has a body 20 for mounting from an arm (not shown), e.g. a dipper arm or a boom arm, and a set of first and second side leading edge plates 30, 31 mounted to the body. The body 20 consists of two plates 21 that form a tube spanning between the side leading edge plates 30 and 31. Each side leading edge plate 30, 31 is perpendicular to an axis of rotation, R, of the tool, and each side leading edge is connected by a front leading edge plate 50 positioned for engagement with a substrate. The front leading edge plate 50 is angled laterally by angle, A, of FIG. 2, e.g. about 10° to about 35°, and connects the forward side leading edge 32 to the rearward side leading edge 33 shown in FIG. 1. The angled front leading edge plate 50 many or may not have teeth mounted thereto; however, the implementation shown in the drawings has mounted teeth 61. The side leading edge plates 30, 31 and teeth 61 are laterally spaced apart along the axis of rotation relative to the arm, and the teeth are positioned in a direction of substrate engagement motion, thus providing a forward side leading edge 32 and tooth 61F and a rearward side leading edge 33 and tooth 61R that are spaced apart in the direction of bucket motion by distance, D, e.g., 11 inches for an 30-inch wide bucket or 15 inches for a 40-inch wide bucket, as shown in FIG. 3. Additional teeth 61 may be intermediately spaced along the front leading edge 51 of the front leading edge plate 50. All of the teeth 61 and the front leading edge 51 are positioned generally on a flat plane, S, as shown in FIG. 4, providing a flat bottom on the excavation tool that is generally parallel to the path of rotation. As shown in FIG. 3, the top of the forward tooth 61F is set to the optimum excavation angle, B, e.g. about 30°, relative to the axis of rotation, R, to provide maximum penetration in the substrate. The rearward side leading edge plate 31 is shaped to support the front leading edge plate 50 and tooth adapters 60 (to which teeth 61 are mounted, e.g. by pins 62), while also limiting side spillage, thus providing for maximum capacity of excavated material. The front leading edge 51 is scalloped to help slice through the hard packed substrate, e.g. as shown in FIG. 2. The front leading edge 51 is disposed at angle, A, as shown in FIG. 2. Ideally, angle, A, ranges between about 10° and about 35°, but other angles may be employed. A curved back plate 40 as shown in FIG. 1 is mounted to span a region between the side leading edge plates 30 and 31, and the side plates 41, providing a bucket volume, V, of predetermined capacity, e.g. 1.2 cubic yards, for receiving material excavated from the substrate. The tip radius and the width of the angled edge bucket may be similar to conventional buckets in order to maintain capacities that are also similar.

The angled edge bucket 10 of FIG. 1 improves the efficiency of excavating hard packed substrate, e.g. as compared to prior art tools, by focusing the breakout force one tooth at a time, while the flat bottom, as shown in FIG. 4, simplifies the operation of forming a flat bottom in the trench. When the operator is excavating hard packed substrate, the bucket is rolled away from the operator, and then lowered, such that the first tooth 61F engages the material first. The concentration of machine breakout force on one tooth provides a concentration of the forces that are high enough to easily break up hard packed substrate. As the bucket is rolled toward the operator and lowered, the second tooth, i.e. the tooth 61 next adjacent to tooth 61F, engages the substrate. Looking only at the second tooth, because the second tooth is closer to the arm bucket pin location of rotation (axis, R), the force on this tooth will be relatively higher, i.e. than the force on the first tooth, and also because the teeth are positioned in a flat plane, the angle, B′, as shown in FIG. 3, for the second tooth, e.g. 32°, is relatively larger than the angle, B, for the first tooth, e.g. the angle for the first tooth is about 30°. This relatively larger angle, B′, creates a greater material slicing effect than the smaller angle, B, on the first tooth. Looking at the first and the second tooth together, the first tooth engages with the hard packed substrate with full breakout force. When the second tooth engages the substrate, some of the load is shared with the first tooth, and as subsequent teeth engage with the hard packed substrate, the load is shared between each subsequent tooth until all of the teeth have engaged with the substrate. When all of the teeth have engaged with the substrate, the efficiency is only slightly better than a conventional bucket. Throughout a good portion of the digging of the hard packed substrate, the bucket will have all teeth engaged; however, when the material becomes difficult to dig the operator will know to position the bucket so that relatively fewer teeth are engaged, thus providing relatively higher forces for simplifying the excavation of the hard packed substrate.

The bucket volume, V, of the angled edge bucket 10 fills and empties easily, permitting the operator to scoop all excavated materials. When the operator has excavated to the bottom of the trench to where he/she would like to produce a flat bottom, the angled edge bucket can be positioned flat, similar to FIG. 3, and can be forced laterally using the machine hydraulics, to shave the trench bottom material to produce a perfectly flat bottom, G. This technique is similar to the technique used with a conventional bucket.

A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the side leading edge plates 30, 31, of the angled edge bucket 10 may be fitted with replaceable bolt-on or weld-on side cutters for severe applications. Also, the front leading edges could be a separate bolt-on or weld-on aftermarket assembly for existing buckets. Also, the excavation tool of the disclosure could be used on wheel-type, crawler-type and skid steer-type loaders or shovels. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims. 

1. An angled edge bucket excavation tool for use mounted to an arm of an excavation machine, said angled edge bucket excavation tool comprising: a body mounted for rotation from the arm; a pair of generally flat, non-similar side leading edge plates mounted to the body; a pair of side plates and a formed back sheet mounted to said body and said side leading edges; and an angled front leading edge plate mounted to span the region of the angled edge bucket between said side leading edge plates, and attached to said back sheet and said side plates, to define, together, an angled edge bucket volume for receiving material excavated from the hard packed substrate during excavation action.
 2. The angled edge bucket excavation tool of claim 1, wherein said angled front leading edge plate includes non aligning teeth mounted thereto. 